Should Elder lemons like myself bother swithching this year?

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pudds

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Been switching for the last 6yrs and due to leave Electric Ireland on 5th November next, dual fuels,
but with such volitity in world supplies and some power companies collasping, would I be better off staying with
our state company ESB / Electric Ireland for another year anyway and less worry, and see what happens, money not an issue.

If I ask for a loyalty bonus will this tie me into a 12 month contract, I expect so.

Would they give me €100/€150 bonus do ye think?

your advice appreciated thanks.
 
I find you have to switch each year. Otherwise I find you get put onto an expensive tariff.

Only way to know is to ask but it probably will tie you in to a new 12 month contract.

The new smart rates for smart metres are a joke. The elec providers have priced them way higher than their standard tariffs.

I went to Bord Gais for gas and elec this year.
Gas was just under 4cent and elec was about 15 cents on their standard 24 HR tariff
 
pudds said:
but with such volitity in world supplies and some power companies collasping, would I be better off staying with
our state company ESB / Electric Ireland for another year anyway and less worry, and see what happens, money not an issue.
Click to expand...
What Irish provider has collapsed?

If you are referring to the UK companies it appears a consumer price cap is to blame. Higher wholesale prices that can't be passed on to consumers have squeezed companies profit margins and in some cases resulted in their collapse.

I don't think anything like that operates here. Wholesale prices can be passed on. The only way I can see a utilities provider going to the wall here is if there is mass arrears or fraud.

Let me put the question another way... What is the risk to you from your energy provider collapsing? Did anyone in the UK find their lights stopped working or that their heating never came on? If the answer is no then why pay a higher price now.

pudds said:
Would they give me €100/€150 bonus do ye think?
Click to expand...
Can't hurt to try. Will only cost you the price of a phonecall but inert consumers are the cash cow of providers. Your 10 minutes on hold might be better used shopping around and getting a cheaper rate.
 
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I switched from bordgais for my electric recently, out of contract.

If I had been with any other company i would of switched to bordgais. They guarantee not to raise their price again until spring (I'm sure that's not contractually binding but they wouldn't make that statement unless they were confident they had hedged there future electricity and gas prices) plus you can use tesco clubcard vouchers for double the amount off your bill.
 
My discounted contract with Energia is up next week and will revert to standard prices if I do nothing, so I have been researching.

For me, there is little between Bord Gáis’s Best Dual Fuel plan and Electric Ireland’s Home Duel+ Saver 26.

With my usage and at current prices, doing nothing and reverting to standard tariffs would cost me €1,500 more for the next year, madness not to switch.

I know a few who even still pay standard prices to Bord Gáis for gas and standard prices to Electric Ireland for electricity because that is what they have done for the past 40 years or more, others might have switched years ago but have not gotten around to switching since.

Any statistics anywhere showing how many are paying non discounted rates as a result of not changing providers annually ?
 
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